Blk Ark: The Impossible Manifestation
November 18, 2022
Presented by CultureHub
Blk Ark: The Impossible Manifestation is a multimodal project by CultureHub Resident Artist Cat Mahari consisting of a live performance, filmed community co-created sound score, and digital publication. It is inspired by Ẹsẹ̀ntáyé, meaning “touch the feet to the earth”, a Yoruba ceremony wherein a baby’s destiny is revealed. In embodiment of Hip Hop’s wildstyle, we choose a destiny of marronage, which is a fugitive movement from bondage and the creation of an alternative world - a journey to the outside. James Baldwin was once accused of courting anarchy and replied, “...disorder was a necessary aspect of his life... He could not afford to be tamed.” Blk Ark centers the refusal to be tamed and embraces the demand of “disorder” for Blk liberation. As Assata Shakur stated, “Power concedes nothing without demand.”
This work crosses temporal logics utilizing play and anarcho-choreographic Hip Hop as a co-conspirator. Blk Ark invites audiences to ask themselves, “Are they free?” and allow their answer to drive them as they experience this installation and performance.
Blk Ark: The Impossible Manifestation was developed in the CultureHub Residency Program